Anyone have the statistics on which Countries can "afford" Nat'l Health

[NAO]

Two notions have been pounded into Americans so deeply that the dismiss National Health Care as a realistic possibility.

First, we are told, and most believe, "we can't afford it".

Second, we are told, and most believe, "it results in inferior quality of medical care".

Because of these two notions, although most Americans think that we need to do something to address the problem of uninsured Americans, a "Socialized Medicine" or "National Health" is not the solution.

I think if we could actively refute these two ideas, which are both false, with hard facts and statistics, it would pave the way for National Health Care in the US.

To the first objection, "we can't afford it", I think it's easy enough to say, "well, xx number of industrialized countries can afford it, including y country and z country. If they can afford it, surely the great, prosperous US can afford it." So statistics on what countries do provide National Health would do the trick.

To the second objection, "it results in inferior quality care", we could come back with statistics from the World Health Org or some other non-governmental, non-partisan organization that ranks quality of medical care in all the countries in the world. I don't know, but I doubt the US is ranked #1 and I'll bet that countries that do provide National Health are highly ranked.

So with both of those myths debunked, Americans could angrily demand, "why don't we have National Health yet?".

Does anyone know where to find this info (what countries have national health, and what a ranking of quality of medical care in countries)?

Has any pro-national health organization already put this together?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Take a look at medical costs...

And their effects on job and the survival of companies such as GM, Ford, Chrysler and others. Then ask yourself "Can we afford to not have Single-Payer Health Care?"

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. According to a friend of mine who was in a car accident there,

Costa Rica (Costa Rica!) has universal health care. She said that the care was up to standards and that her total bill was something like $15.

[LSdemocrat]

3. We already spend far more (publicly and privately) per capita than anyone

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/hea_hea_car_fun_tot_per_cap

[candle_bright]

4. I don't know the whole list

of nations that have it, but you could start with researching Canada and Sweden.

For your project, you should look at what percentage of the budget is spent on health care in relation to other things. Also, find evidence of quality of care.

Good luck! :)

[FloridaPat]

5. I have heard we are the only industialized nation without universal

health care. There are also all those Canadians who come down here because it takes too long to get treatment in Canada. This comes up to the same things in the US - the only ones who can afford exceptional health care are the wealthy - Canadian or American (how come Canadians and Mexicans aren't Americans? We're on the same Continent.)

We pay higher perscription prices because all those horrible countries that have universal health care fix the price of perscription drugs, thereby taking away the rights of the drug companies to make billions in profits each year. So we pay more to make up the difference.

As for countries that have health care - just about everyone with some industrialized economy. Europe, Russia (although theirs was a disaster. not sure if it got any better), Canada, Mexico, India, Cuba. I'm going to guess China.

I had an interesting conversation in Russia about 6 years ago. I was there with some Canadians and the subject came to how much it cost to have a baby. Russia was 0, Canada was a few bucks, and the Land of the Free and Brave was $3500 plus.

[applegrove]

8. "Americans" refer to the people of the United States. Otherwise you

would be known as United Statians... and that never happens. We do not want to be mistaken for Americans. We have our own country in Canada and we like being Canadians very, very much!

[FloridaPat]

9. If you were in the tropics, I would have moved there years ago.

Nice country with nice people. Keep up the good work.

[applegrove]

10. Winter is great. It keeps you honest, lets the soil rest for a bit and

requires us to 'look at things differently'. Don't knock winter. The accumulation of water over 5 months...then its dissipation in the next 5 months... makes us the boat owning capital (per capita) in the world. Now these include canoes, kayaks, motorboats, yachts, sailboats, wind-surfers, jet-skis, lakers and ships. But - yeah - it is nice to be the 'boat owners' and not the 'gun owners'. That is what winter does for us.

[FloridaPat]

11. All the thieves come down to Florida for the winter. Their work is

not seasonal I guess! I've lived most of my life in Pennsylvania, New York, and Minnesota. I've had enough of winter. It was a shock moving to Florida and realizing I didn't have certain times of the year to do things - I could do them all year round! Like gardening. Working outdoors. Cheap to heat the house.

[applegrove]

12. That sounds nice. Our elderly do that when they do not want all the

danger and tasks inherent in winter. And if they are rich. They move to the only part of Canada that has no winter too.

But being a kid... how do you make a snow fort without the snow? How do you know how to dig a tunnel? Snow football is great because tackling doesn't hurt as much as the running does.

Ah - snow.

[firefox]

6. Good Zmag article

This Zmag article pegs US health care cost at $1.7 trillion- http://tinyurl.com/5xu3j We have a $10.4 trillion GDP. It also says-

Today, the U.S. covers less of its population while spending more--much more--on health care than any other nation, including all 39 developed nations that provide universal coverage.

[eallen]

7. I think you're missing an important part of "we can't afford it"

The rejoinder to the fact that countries Y and Z have it usually is that countries Y and Z have tax rates far beyond ours. If people feel they will be poorer as the result of a transition to a national health plan -- poorer as measured in their take home salary -- many will oppose it. Once you start arguing "yeah, but it's worth it," you're on much fuzzier ground.

It would be more interesting if you could point out (a) that country Y has a decent national health care plan, and (b) that country Y's tax rate is less that our tax rate, plus what the average worker spends on health care.